Report: Lance Briggs will not return to Chicago Bears
Seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker Lance Briggs will not return to the Chicago Bears next season, according to a report from CSN Chicago's Jen Lada.
CSN Chicago's John Mullin confirmed that the team did not plan to offer the veteran free agent a new contract, adding that he had hoped to finish his career with the Bears. In the final year of his deal, Briggs appeared in just eight games due to injury, recording 24 tackles and an interception.
Mullin also reported that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and former Bears coach Lovie Smith are preparing an offer for Briggs.
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Briggs, 34, was drafted by the Bears out of Arizona in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft. He missed just four games in 10 seasons from 2003 to 2012, but he sat out 13 games the past two years with injuries.
In his 12 seasons with the Bears, Briggs recorded 1,173 combined tackles with 15 sacks and 16 interceptions.
-Jeremy Woo
